


Captain Finley Rey Henderson

by TrippySkillets97



Series: Captain Henderson [1]
Category: Red Dwarf (UK TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, He's not all bad, Rimmer needs love okay, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23900161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrippySkillets97/pseuds/TrippySkillets97
Summary: Aboard Starbug-1, the crew finds a ship stranded with them in deep space.What they thought was going to be the usual in and out supply run, turns into much more when they find the captain of the ship who is now the only living member of said ship, save for the rampaging monster.Rimmer finds himself falling for the Captain, the only woman who doesn't see him as a complete and total smeghead.
Relationships: Arnold Rimmer/Original Character(s), Arnold Rimmer/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Captain Henderson [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722685
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We all need more Rimmer fics... Let's all just be honest with ourselves. I could no longer contain it when there is so little about our precious Hologram.

Aboard Starbug-1, the crew finds themselves lower on supplies more and more as the days go on  
As the days turn into weeks, into months, without any trace of the Red Dwarf.  
Trying to show optimism, but deep down they all were losing hope.  
Losing hope of finding what they had come to call home.  
Losing hope on the plentiful supplies.  
Losing hope that they would never get away from another for more than five minutes.

Their hardest, they did. Scavenging derelict ships in hopes of finding more food for Lister and the Cat, so that they could survive a little longer.

“Sirs!” Kryten called from the cockpit, seeing something that could be a glimmer of hope for the crew. “Sirs! You won’t believe what we’ve found!” He looked at the monitor in front of him as the others joined him in the cockpit.

Lister nearly choked on the curry he was eating when Kryten had begun yelling, smacking a hand on his chest to make the vindaloo go down. “Kryten man- what’s going on!?”

Kryten was looking over the Scanners to see that the ship that they had discovered seemed to have two life forms on board of it. “That ship we’ve been preparing to board, sir! The Scanners have picked up two life forms!” The excitement was clear in the Mechanoids voice.

“Life forms?” Lister questioned. “You mean like, actual living people?” He couldn’t stop the smile from forming on his face.

Rimmer shook his head. “Living, yes. But people? For all we know, they could be a race of Orangutans that learned to pilot space ships!” A quick pause before adding “Well, they’d at least mistake Lister for one of them.” Looking over the monitors himself, he got a bad feeling in his stomach. “I say we leave this ship be, abandon the thought of any scavenging.” Rimmer knew their luck. They’d go on that ship thinking they’d finally found another human after years of being stuck in deep space, only for it to go horribly wrong and they nearly get blown up. He really wasn’t up for it this week.

“But Rimmer, think about it!” Lister’s gut told him this would be a great idea for everyone on the ship. Maybe they’d finally find someone that could join them and make it a little less lonesome onboard. Maybe it was a woman? A really attractive woman that would instantly fall in love with him. “What if they are human? What if, by some chance, we finally get a break and nothing goes wrong?”

Rimmer crossed his arms over his chest. “Given our past history on chancing our luck? We’d have a better chance of The Cat giving up one of his suits.”

“Give up one of my suits?! You must be crazy to think I’d give up one of my precious babies like that!” The cat said with a hiss. No one was touching his suits.

Rimmer rolled his eyes at the feline. “Kryten, I forbid you from docking us to that ship.”

Kryten was torn. He knew, on one hand, Rimmer was right. Their luck was never so good that they’d find a perfectly healthy human and not be shot to smithereens. On the other, he knew that Lister and the Cat were starting to get low on essential items. “Oh, but Mister Rimmer, sir! What if Mister Lister is right? Plus, we need supplies.”

“Kryten’s right!” Lister saw the latest food count. One more week and he very well might have to give up his precious curry. “We need to do this, man! Kryten, Cat, prepare to dock Starbug to that ship.”

“Of course! No one ever wants to listen to me!” Rimmer turned and left the cockpit. “Good Ol’ smegging Rimmer! Never once does anyone care what I think!”

“Oh good! You finally get it!” Cat smiled wide as he hit the buttons on the dash. “I was wonderin’ when you’d get the picture.”

Lister tried to contact the ship before docking it, but no one was answering their call. “Kryten, mate, have you tried to establish contact?”

“Yes, sir. Once I discovered the life forms, I’ve tried numerous times to contact them.”

Rimmer, ever the pessimist. “Well that sure sounds like a good sign, doesn’t it?” Rolling his eyes. “We should be leaving! We’re going to be doomed if we proceed!”

Finally after hearing Rimmer drone on and on about how bad of an idea this was, they finally arrived on the ship. It wasn’t as large as Red Dwarf, but it still seemed like it held a good-sized crew at one point. Which now it seemed it was mostly abandoned, save for the two life forms they had yet to run into.  
The four split up into groups once they hit the end of a hallway that split into two others. Lister and the Cat going one way, Rimmer and Kryten the other.

Rimmer had yet to find any sort of supplies that they could take back to Starbug and began to feel like this was yet again a horrible, horrible, idea. “Look, Kryten, I say we go back to Starbug. It’s obvious no one is on this ship! The scanners probably picked up a couple of lab rats that got loose!”

“Nonsense, sir! The scanners picked up two life forms that were way bigger than your average lab rat! Why, for them to be rats, they’d be as big as you or me, sir.” Kryten tried to lighten the situation, but from the looks of it, it only made Rimmer’s paranoia worse.

“Fan-smegging-tastic.” Rimmer kept looking behind him every time he heard a slight noise. “We’re going to be eaten by giant Mickey and Minnie mouse!”

“Please keep your head up, sir! I’m sure we’ll be out of here before any problems arise.” But it was after Kryten had stopped speaking, did they hear a loud crashing sound and a screeching yell from the floor above them. “Oh, dear.”

“What on earth was that?!” Rimmer looked all around him for any sort of clue as to what would make that sound. “It sounded like the Cat after he got caught in his zipper!”

“I’m not sure, sir! It sounded like it was from the floor above us.” Kryten had now been put into panic mode. “Perhaps we should find and alert the others?”

They both set off to find Lister and the Cat, running back the way they had came and down the hall the other two went. They kept their eyes open for any sort of sign of where they could be when they stopped in front of an elevator. “We’re never going to find them!” Rimmer was beginning to panic more and more the longer they were on the ship. “We should just leave them and go back to starbug!”

“We can’t just leave them behind, sir! They’ll be killed!”

“And that’s a sacrifice I’m just going to have to make.” Rimmer started at another rumble from the floor above them. “They were nice blokes, surely I’ll miss them!”

It was then that the elevator they were stopped in front of opened, causing Rimmer to scream and hide behind Kryten for protection.

What neither of them was expecting was a woman yielding a bazookoid to come out. Drenched in sweat as she jumped out of the elevator, slamming the close door button. “Christ sakes.” She heaved as she backed away from the doors. Noticing that she wasn’t alone, she aimed her weapon towards the two figures to her right. Before pulling the trigger, she noticed they weren’t threats and lowered her weapon. “What in the hell?! Who are you guys?!”

Rimmer peaked around the bulky droid and was a loss for words at what he saw.  
A woman, no older than her mid 30’s, long wavy blonde hair, her eyes a captivating hazel. And her body! Rimmer could drool if he wasn’t still terrified. She was wearing a white space uniform, polyester pants with a matching vinyl jacket, a black shirt underneath and black combat boots. Her jacket was littered with badges, most likely the ranks she had climbed while on board from what Rimmer could see.

Kryten was the first one to speak after his initial shock had worn off. “Sorry to startle you ma’am, we mean no harm! We’re from a ship called Starbug, and we boarded your ship in search of supplies for our own.”

Feeling a rumble beneath her feet, she kept her bazookoid close to her body. “Well sorry to break it to you gentlemen, but you’ve come at a rather bad time.” Her accent was American. Turning as she heard something breakthrough from the floor above them. “Damn it!”

Whatever that thing was, was hideous behind any sort of comparison. It’s pale, rotting flesh, the dead white veiled eyes, the massive bulk of whatever creature it was. What it wore seemed to be a body armor type of attire. But one could hardly get a good look at it, as it began growling at what it saw in front of it.

The woman shot one missile at it before turning back to Kryten and Rimmer, “Run!”


	2. Chapter 2

Rimmer and Kryten had followed this mysterious woman as they were being chased by a freakazoid monster that seemed rather hellbent on wanting to eat them.

The woman had stopped to slam her palm on a panel that was on the wall, a door slid open and she pushed Kryten and Rimmer inside. Once the three of them were inside the room, she closed the door behind her and ducked behind a desk that was on the other side of the room.  
Taking the hint, Rimmer and Kryten had found their own hiding places away from the door, praying that that thing wouldn’t find them.

They heard the thing stomp across the hall, all thinking it would surely find them in the small room when the footsteps had begun to echo off further down the corridor. Heaving a sigh of relief, the blonde woman climbed out from under the desk. “Well, that was close.”

Kryten nearly fell out of the cupboard he was hiding in. “Yes, it was indeed.” Glancing around the room, wondering where Rimmer could have hidden. “Mister Rimmer?”

Peeking out from under the bed that was located in the room. “Has it gone?”

“For now.” The woman set her weapon down on the desk behind her. Her heart still slamming against her chest from everything she had witnessed that morning. It would haunt it for the rest of her life, which seemed it would be a short-lived one. She had no idea how she would be getting out of this mess, especially now with two new people. “Now, who are you guys?” She crossed her arms as she looked over the two beings in front of her. A series 4000 mechanoid, and a hard light Hologram- She guessed from the H on his forehead and the fact that she was able to push him into the room before.

Rimmer looked her over again and wondered how this could be. A human! An actual human being! And she wasn’t horribly disfigured, or immediately wanting to kill them. “Arnold J Rimmer.” He introduced himself. “Second Technician and acting captain of the mining ship Red dwarf.”

The woman blinked a couple of times before looking between Rimmer and Kryten, who was shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Second Technician… Yet you’re acting Captain?”

“Yes, well…” Rimmer had begun to stutter. “I am the highest-ranked member of the crew- so it was- I mean I’m-” He didn’t know what to say. He had already smegged up things with her for sure.

Pursing her lips in momentary amusement, she turned to the Mechanoid. “And you?”

“Kryten, Ma’am.” He gave a polite bow. “Could you tell us what on earth that thing was?”

Pushing the hair out of her face, the past events flashing before her eyes once again. Blinking away the memories, and the tears that had begun to pool. “Captain Finley Henderson.” She nodded, “I couldn’t tell you, honestly. All I know is that thing murdered my whole crew.” She shuddered out a breath. “It came on a pod, and I had tried telling my head scientist to leave it alone to wander space, but he brought it on without my knowing.” Those damned Male scientists never listened to her. “You’re just a lass that got lucky enough to become captain!”

Rimmer was stunned when she had said she was the captain of this ship. No wonder she seemed so confused at his self claim of being “Acting captain” Of a ship they don’t even have anymore.

“It thawed out of whatever state it was in, and instantly began attacking everyone. The whole upper floor is covered in blood and… And…” She put a hand to her stomach as nausea hit her from reliving those moments. “It’s strong… Really strong.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, not wanting to seem so weak in front of them.

“Mister Rimmer!” Kryten began to panic again. “Oh, Mister Rimmer! We have to find Mister Lister and the Cat!”

“You’ve got others?!” Finley groaned. “You don’t understand what sort of trouble you guys are in! That monster is going to kill your friends like it did mine!” She grabbed her Bazookoid and began to run out of the room.

Rimmer watched her with wide eyes. “Where are you going?!”

“To find your friends! Where they gone off too?”  
To be so ready to find and save two people she hadn’t even met yet. Finley was surely crazy. But if there were others, maybe, just maybe, she could stop that creature. A plan began to form in her mind, but she didn’t know if she could pull it off.

“They went down the hallway where we ran into you,” Rimmer explained as he and Kryten began to follow Finely down the corridors again. Luckily, it was the opposite way that the creature had gone.

Finley nodded and headed back towards the Elevator. “Hopefully it hasn’t seen them yet. Bastard. The only thing on its mind is blood.” She stopped once she heard a noise, but it wasn’t the creature. These noises were softer, like harsh whispers being made. “This way.” She led them down another corridor to a door that read cleaning supplies above it. Hearing the harsh whispers again, she opened the door to reveal Lister and The cat hiding next to a stack of towels and sponges.

Lister was surprised to see a woman on this ship. He and the Cat had heard the crashing from that thing breaking through the floor and hid in the closest room they could find. He looked her up and down, finding her to be absolutely gorgeous. “Uh, hi.”

Standing to the side so they could leave the closet. “Captain Henderson. You must be Lister and…” Her brows coming together as the strange character giving her a smile with sharp canines. “The cat?”

The Cat sauntered out of the closet and close to Finley. “So you’ve heard of me?” He gave her another smug smile.

Rimmer pushed forward, “Look we don’t have time, we need to move before-”

A loud roaring sound from down the hall stopped the group. Finley cocked her weapon and pointed it down the hall. “Look, where you docked your ship is close to our spare supplies. It’s also next to the ships self destruct mechanic.” She began backing up as she heard heavy footsteps. “If you take me with you guys, I’ll let you take everything I’ve got. While you load up your ship, I set off the timer and blow this place to space debris.” Glancing to her right where Rimmer was standing “Deal?”

Rimmer thought it over. They needed the supplies, and they could always use another person on board Starbug. Finally, someone that either wasn’t the slobbiest person in the universe, a prissy preen cat, and Kryten. “Deal.”

Finley managed a smile. “This corridor loops back to where your ship is at. All we have to do is run, and hopefully, it won’t find us.” That wish was short-lived though, as that beast rounded the corner and went full speed towards them. “Run! Run!” Shooting at the beast before turning and running with the rest of the group. “We’ve got to shake it!”

“How?!” Lister had wished they were smart enough to grab their own weapons before leaving Starbug. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s really fast!”

Kryten noticed something about the strange creature when he first saw it. Its eyes. They were glazed over in a white haze. “I believe the creature to be blind! Perhaps if we simply duck away somewhere and remain quiet, it’ll wander off somewhere else on the ship!”

Finley thought about that. There were some moments before these guys came aboard, that she swore the thing looked right at her but didn’t realize she was there until she knocked over the medical table in trying to run away. “Maybe you’re right.” Quickly remembering the layout of the ship, “We can hide in my sleeping quarters on the next floor, I made the room soundproof.” Ignoring the questioning looks she had received. “The stairs are just right ahead.”

Placing her palm on the wall panel, the door to the staircase had opened and she stood to the side until everyone had gotten in. Stepping in herself, she turned to punch the control panel of the door to keep it from opening again and hopefully slowing the beast down. Placing a finger to her lips to signal to be quiet, she pointed up the stairs. As quietly as everyone could, they trod up the stairs until Finley stopped in front of another door and opened it, the door sliding with a loud hissing sound, causing her to flinch. 

Letting out a breath of relief once she reached her bedroom door, she had punched in a code before the door slid open and she stepped inside and waited for the other four to file in behind her. The door closed once Kryten had come in, and Finley slumped against the wall and slid down until she was seated on the floor. “Alright,” She breathed, “Now we can come up with a plan.”

Rimmer looked around the room. It was larger than the one he and Lister had shared on Red Dwarf. It was cleaner, too. No dirty laundry sat on the floor, no moldy coffee cups, no stains or smells. It was decorated with little knick-knacks, stuffed animals, and posters of bands that Rimmer hadn’t recognized. It also smelled like lavender and chamomile, a very relaxing smell despite the circumstance. The lilac-colored furry rug stood out against the grey walls, adding a certain unique touch to it. “You’re sure this room is soundproof?” He kept his voice low to not chance anything.

Finley nodded her head. “Yeah, had it done once I was promoted to Captain.” She pushed herself off the floor. “This should be the safest place on this whole ship.”

Lister had been wondering about the whole soundproof thing. Of course, his thoughts went straight to the gutter when he heard it. He could think of a couple of reasons why he would want a soundproof room. “Why’d you get it soundproof?”

Finley had grabbed a bag and began to place some of her belongings into it. “Um…” She placed the last shirt in and zipped the bag up. “Well, I suffer from nightmares. My old roommate hated it, and kept her up most nights.” She looked around the room to look for more things to grab. “They started after I joined the Stargazer crew. I had been here for three months when I had received word that my parents were killed in a car crash. I looked up to them, they supported my choice to travel space and be a part of this amazing crew of scientists… I thought the world of them.” She sat on her bed with a sigh.

Everyone stood in silence, feeling for the poor girl that’s suffered so much loss in her life. Her family, now her entire crew. “How’re you out here so deep in space anyways? We’re over three million years away from earth.” Lister asked.

“Hmm…” Finley hummed, “I tripped the lightspeed controls. Well, I say tripped- that thing actually threw me into the controls.” She huffed and stood from her spot. “Hurt like a bitch.” She craned her neck, trying to ease the pain she felt. “Three million years, eh? How about you guys?”

“Well, that’s a long story.” Lister began how his story in this began.


	3. Chapter 3

Finley sat and listened to Lister telling her about how he went into stasis, woke up three million years later to have his whole crew gone. All he had, in the beginning, was Rimmer, a hologram of his dead roommate, the Cat, who was an evolved species of a normal house cat, and the ships A.I Holly, later finding Kryten on his own destroyed ship, the Nova 5. Now they’ve lost their ship and Holly along with it.

“Wait… Red Dwarf?” Finley felt a very familiar feeling at the name. “Wait a minute! The mining ship?! That was your ship?!”

Lister and Rimmer shared an odd look with each other at her outburst. “Yeah, why?”

“I heard about that!” Finley snapped her fingers once she remembered the story. “The ship and the crew never returned, over 1,000 never made it home! It’s a historical event on earth!” She remembered all the countless times she had to read about the mysterious disappearance of the large mining vessel. “No one ever knew what happened to it. I guess I figured that mystery out myself.”

“A historical event?” Rimmer couldn’t believe it.

“Well, when a ship as large as the Red Dwarf disappears without a trace, no one being able to contact it. Over 1,000 families never knowing what happened to their husbands, wives, children…” Finley felt oddly starstruck that she managed to run into the last remaining crew of the Red Dwarf. “I’d be more awestruck if there wasn’t a rampaging killing machine on my ship, though… So, back to the plan!”

Rimmer looked at this woman. She went from telling them about the depressing nightmares of her parents dying, to being completely amazed by the group she had found on her ship. “What exactly is the plan?”

Finley grabbed a map of the ship from one of her cupboards and laid it out flat on her bed. “Like I was saying, everything we need is right around in the same area.” She pointed to an area on the lower level. “That’s where you guys are docked.” She slid her finger over to the right. “That’s the supplies area. And then,” She pointed down a corridor, “That’s the self-destruct.”

“What kind of ship has a self destruct?” The cat wondered. He remembered the time they swapped Lister's brain to try and stop the Red Dwarf from self-destruction... Only to find out that they got rid of it because it was a ridiculous idea to have a bomb set in the ship. Kryten still owed him for that dry cleaning.

“We have a lot of important research on this ship. We’ve got information that ranges from how to turn a lump of coal into gold, how Owls are actually a species of aliens, and how to find out what a woman is actually feeling when she says she’s fine.” She raised her brow at that one. “Yeah, our male scientists were a bit thick at times… Anyway, with the knowledge we carry here, we could never chance it getting into the wrong hands. It’s a worst-case scenario if anyone were to ever invade us.”

Lister looked over the map and nodded, “I think you’ve hit that point.”

“In doing this… Not just years, but decades worth of research will be blown to smithereens.” Kryten pained to think of it. All that knowledge, all those findings... gone.

“Kryten, this thing killed my entire crew. People I’ve known for the past seventeen years of my life- gone! Because of that thing out there!” Finley shook her head. “I’m not risking that thing leaving this ship alive. It’s done for… I don’t give a damn about all the science that’s on this ship. It’s worthless to me now.” She would give everything up, even her own life, to kill that thing.

Rimmer found himself admiring the woman. Despite all the losses she’s suffered, she was still so brave. Still willing to fight and risk her own ship to kill that beast. Never had he met someone so brave. She even made Ace Rimmer look like a crying toddler in the face of danger.

“So,” Finley continued after a moment of pause. “I’ll need someone to come with me while I put in all the codes, in case it finds me.” She looked over the faces in the room, all of them were in their own thoughts. “The other three can get the supplies onto your ship while the timer is going. By the time it’s packed up and we’re on it and leaving, this place is gonna light up.”

“And you’re sure you want to come with us?” Rimmer asked. They were a group of strangers to her. Yes, the other option would be to stay on this ship as it exploded. But to trust people, she met not twenty minutes ago, to be stuck with them in space for who knows how long?

Finley looked around her room for the final time. “Yeah, I’m sure. You guys seem better than my other current shipmate.” She nodded towards the door. “I’d rather chance it with people who don’t want to rip my head off.”

“Then let’s do this then.” Lister looked over to Rimmer. “You go with her.”

“Me? Why me?” Rimmer didn’t want to keep watch. He didn’t want to run into that thing again. “Why not you or the Cat? Or Kryten?”

“No, Lister’s right.” Finley grabbed her bazookoid. “Your hard-light form makes you stronger than us.” Stepping up towards Rimmer, she held her weapon out. “I’m trusting you not to get me killed… Captain.” She smiled at him as she saw his eyes light up at being called “Captain”

Rimmer felt something in him light up as he grabbed the bazookoid from her. He felt pride and a surge of courage go through him. “Well then, no use standing around here is there? Let’s go.”

Finley smiled at him again. “We’ll need to take the elevator down.”

Taking quiet steps out of the room, the group followed behind Finley as she led them to the nearest elevator. All hearts and processors were going at a fast rate as they kept their ears open for any sign of the murderous rampant beast that was stalking the ship.  
Finley pressed the button for the elevator, but it made no noise to signal that it was working. Frantically pressing it more, she cursed under her breath. “Damn it.” She thought of any other way they could make it down. The door to the only staircase was now busted thanks to her, and the closest elevator was a longer walk than she wanted to take. “Wait a minute.”

Turning to Rimmer and Kryten as she thought of something. “Remember when that thing crashed through the ceiling?” They nodded in confirmation. “It was in the biology lab when it did that. Going through that hole is our quickest way back down. Luckily it's just at the end of the hall.” Keeping her feet light, she quickly went over to the door that went into said Biology lab. Putting her palm to the panel, she was relieved that it worked and opened up. Though now she feared that there were too many noises that would draw that thing back to them.

Lister felt his stomach drop as he looked down into the hole. “Bit of a drop, ain’t it?” he said as sweat built on his brow.

“Listy, your choices are a possible sprained ankle, or being eaten alive by that ugly beast that makes you look like Marlon Brando, which will it be?” Rimmer rolled his eyes. Of course, now of all times did Lister’s fear of heights put them at a risk.

The Cat, however, wasn’t having any of it from them. “Puh-lease.” He sauntered over to the hole. “Out of my way, amateurs, and watch a professional do his work.” He said before effortlessly jumping down the hole without a noise, looking back up at them with a smirk on his face and a wink towards Finley.

“We need to be smart about this.” She kneeled down next to the hole. “Kryten’s gonna make a lot of noise hitting the floor,” She saw the glares Rimmer and Lister gave the large clunky Mechanoid. “I say us three go down first, then once Kryten hits the floor, we make a run for another place to hide until it loses us.”

Lister nodded his head. “Sounds reasonable to me.” He said, though he still didn’t like the thought of jumping down. Still, it was now or never, and he didn’t like the idea of standing around until it found them again. Taking a deep breath, he sat down until his legs were dangling over the edge of the floor, and let himself fall and hit the floor with only a light thud.

Finley nodded, “Okay.” She let out a shaky breath before leaning away from the hole. “Rimmer? You next, yeah?” She gave a nervous smile.

Rimmer swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down and saw Lister and the Cat looking back up at him. “Right… My turn…” Doing the same thing a Lister, he slowly sat himself down until his legs began to dangle, giving Finley a nervous glance before letting himself fall. Surprisingly the thud he made was no louder than Listers.

“We can do this, Kryten… We’re almost there.” Finley looked up at the nervous-looking Mechanoid. “Once you hit the floor, just keep following me, alright?” Kryten nodded. “That thing is fast, but as long as we stay smart, we can beat it.” She tried to stay uplifting, staying positive, though at this point her heart was pounding against her chest.

“Oh, I do wish I could effortlessly lie in a dire situation like you can, ma’am.” Kryten found himself growing fond of the woman. It had been years since he was around an actual living female human. His previous masters on the Nova 5 being dead for centuries before Red Dwarf had found him. If she did join them, he’d have to reinstall some memories on how to serve a woman, having to delete some once he figured such knowledge on how to launder lingerie was unnecessary.

Finley took a deep breath before she started to lower herself down, doing the same thing Lister and Rimmer had done. As her legs dangled over the edge, she saw the panicked looks of the rest of them on the ground below. “Here goes.”

Rimmer looked up at her as she began to lower herself down. Debating with himself on a rather daring decision before Finley made the jump down. He could argue that he just wanted to lessen the noise… Yeah. One hundred percent.

Finley finally let herself fall after hesitating. She was expecting to hit the floor as the others did, her heavy boots making a loud noise as they landed on the ground.  
What she wasn’t expecting, was after letting herself down, was feeling a pair of arms catch her around her waist before she hit the floor.  
Opening her eyes in shock, she saw that she was very close to Rimmer’s face. “Oh…” She breathed out. “Thanks?”

Rimmer feeling the heat in his cheeks rise, let her down, and refused to look her in the face. “Yeah… Just thought it’d make the least amount of noise if I… You know… Caught you.” He cleared his throat and saw the confused look from Lister.

Lister didn’t know what was going on with him, but he could make a good guess. He knew Rimmer fancied the lonesome captain that they had found. He knew Rimmer was trying to act all macho in order to impress her. Little did Finley know, is that when they did get back to Starbug, that Rimmer was the most whiney and cowardly being alive.

After Rimmer had let her down, Finley looked up at Kryten who looked scared beyond belief. “Kryten, you’ve got this. Remember what I said” She kept her voice soft as she spoke to Kryten.

Kryten nodded. All he had to do was jump and follow Miss Finley until they got to safety. She seemed so wise and caring, he hoped they would all make it out of this alive.

Kryten let himself down the hole, and just like they all knew, he made a huge sound once he hit the ground. They all flinched once he made contact with the floor with a loud thud.  
Finley helped him to stand, and Kryten felt her grip tighten once they heard that monster roar, knowing where they were.

“Follow me, quickly.” Finley started down the corridor, the Red Dwarf crew keeping up with her as they ran down the halls. They retraced their steps until they got to where they had first started once they boarded the ship. “Right, Lister, Cat, Kryten?” The three gave her their attention. “Right through that door is all the supplies. There’s food, medical, hygiene, even spare water. Grab everything.” They nodded and filed through the door.  
Turning to Rimmer, “You’ve got my back, right?”

Rimmer nodded. “Yes, of course.” His voice wavered a bit and he cursed himself. He knew he was a coward, there was no denying it.

Finley put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got this, Rimmer. Just keep an eye out. It’s strong, but so are you.”

Rimmer shook his head. He couldn’t keep it up anymore, he was terrified. “I’m not though. I’m a coward! The cowardly Lion is braver than I am.” He was ashamed of himself. This woman he had just met was putting her faith in him, but he knew he wasn’t capable of doing anything but running and hiding.

Finley let her hand slide down his arm, to the hand that wasn’t holding the Bazookoid. “Don’t let your fear stop you from doing anything. It only holds you back. You’re not gonna get far in life by being scared of everything.” Her voice was strong as she spoke to him, hoping it gave him some encouragement. “You’ve got this, Rimmer. I know you do. We’re almost out of here.” She let go of his hand and headed towards the Self-Destruct Machine in the next room, Rimmer following close behind her.

Rimmer was finding it hard to believe that this woman actually had any faith in him. Everyone always made fun of him, mocked him, loathed him. Yet there was this beautiful woman, smart, brave. Everything he wasn’t. She’d be better off with someone like that hoity-toity space hippy Ace Rimmer. He’d be able to charm her pant off within seconds, he’d reckon.  
Though now wasn’t the time for him to be jealous over someone she didn’t even know existed. Now was the time to be brave, like she wanted him to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys have been liking this so far! I also hope you guys like Finley. I was gonna use her in a different fic, but then as I was watching Red Dwarf I felt so bad that Rimmer never could catch a break.  
> Funny enough, she was actually going to be in a Mighty Boosh fic and I was gonna set her up with Howard, who also can never catch a break with the ladies... They're also both my favorite characters from their shows...


	4. Chapter 4

Rimmer stood watch as Finley began putting in all the codes to start up the self destruct sequence. Keeping an eye out for that monstrous killer that stalked the halls. He was able to see the others start to pack up everything onto Starbug, carrying the various crates and bags of supplies.

Finley typed in all the codes it took to start everything up. The crew knew that the self destruct shouldn’t be easy to accidentally trip, so they installed several codes, passwords, sequences, and voice commands to ensure that no one but the Captain or First officer could set it off.  
“Everything clear so far, Rimmer?” She turned to look over to see Rimmer with a slightly panicked look on his face.

Rimmer nodded his head. “So far, so good.” He still kept a close grip on the Bazookoid in case their luck would finally run out.

Finley nodded and went back to typing in the second code into the computer. She kept an eye on Rimmer. She knew he must’ve been scared out of his mind, but she admired that he was pulling through for her so far. The whole crew that ended up on her ship was an interesting one. She hoped that after this, she’d be good friends with all of them.

Her heart was pounding against her chest as she started on the fourth part of the sequence, so close, yet so far. They were almost out of there before any of them could be torn apart. All she had to do was put in the last code, then it was the voice commands.

Rimmer felt the color leave his face as he heard something be thrown down the hall, he saw the faces of the others as they carried more things aboard Starbug. The thing was getting closer to them. They needed to pick up their pace.

A computerized voice sounded after Finley entered the code. “Voice identification”

Finley took a deep breath as she was so close to ending this. “Captain Finley Rey Henderson” Her voice wavered, hearing how close that monster was to stomping over to where they were.

“Hello, Captain. Please state your command.”

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard another item get thrown somewhere closer than the last. “Activate self destruct.”

“Affirmative. Please state count down timer.”

Running over to Rimmer, she looked in the supplies area and saw that the boys were almost done. “Count down timer: Five minutes.”

“Affirmative. Initiating self destruct timer, T-minus Five minutes. Thank you, Captain.”

Rimmer looked down at Finley as she pushed the hair out of her face. “What now?”

Biting her lip, she heard the gentle beeps of the computer as it counted down the time until the ship would blow up. “You? Keep an eye out for that thing. I’ll help them load your ship.” Looking up at Rimmer, she tried to stay encouraging. “We’re almost out of here, Rimmer. Five minutes.” She ran to help the others, taking a bag from Cat to take it aboard Starbug.

They were almost done. Two minutes until the ship would be destroyed. They were so close to doing it without that thing showing up.  
But their hope was shot as it rounded the corner, throwing a bit of machinery to the wall in rage.

Finley watched as Rimmer froze in his spot once he saw the monster. She knew that it was now or never for them to get off this ship and to safety before the Stargazer would light up. “Shit.” She muttered before turning to the other three. “Leave anything else behind. We don’t have the time, it’s spotted us.” She saw the look of horror on their faces as they hurried and got to Starbug, leaving the little they weren’t able to grab behind.

Rimmer still wasn’t moving as that thing stalked closer to him. Finley wasn’t about to see anyone else get hurt. Running to him, she gently put a hand on his shoulder and could feel him shake in fear. “Rimmer, give me the Bazookoid.” She whispered. “Get on your ship.”

Rimmer’s eyes widened as he looked down at her. “What about you?”

She could slow that thing down in time for her to board the ship with the others and she’d be safe. Or, she would end up sacrificing herself to make sure the others would make it out safe. But she wasn't going to let any of the guys get hurt. This was her mess, and she was gonna clean it up. “If I make, I make it… You need to get on your ship with your crew, Arnold.” She looked up at him with fierce eyes. “Give. Me. The weapon.”

Rimmer was astonished by this woman. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save them. Four people that she had only just met less than two hours ago. Such bravery. Such Admirable bravery it was almost stupid. And yet, Rimmer nodded and handed her the weapon before taking off towards Starbug.

“59 seconds until self destruct”

Finley watched Rimmer as he ran towards his crew and Starbug.

Clenching her jaw as she turned back towards the thing that killed her friends and crew. “Hey!” She called out towards it. “Come and get me you ugly bastard!”

It roared at her, gaining speed as it hungered for more blood. Though it could not see, it could smell the fear radiating off the human in front of it.

Finley aimed her bazookoid at it, taking a deep breath before firing three shots at it. It knocked it down, but that thing was stubborn and it began to push itself back up.

Pulling the trigger more, she cursed when she found that it was out of ammo. She dropped the weapon and turned to run towards Starbug, hoping they could all make it out alive. Hoping she could find new friends with the crew of the lost ship Red Dwarf. A new life that didn’t involve ordering around a bunch of men who scoffed at her authority, but followed her orders anyway begrudgingly.

Rimmer stood at the top of the steps leading into Starbug. He waited and felt a surge of hope when he saw Finely run towards the ship.

But his eyes widened as he saw the beast pick up a metal barrel and threw it at Finley, knocking her down with ease. “Oh, smeg it all,” Rimmer said as he began to descend the stairs, stopping when he heard Lister’s voice behind him

“Rimmer! Come on man, we ain’t got much time!” He saw Finley on the ground, struggling to get up as her leg was now injured. He knew there wasn’t enough time to grab her and get back to Starbug though. The thought pained him, but there was no use risking their own lives.

Rimmer didn’t listen though. He ran as fast as he could until he reached Finley, who laid on the ground. She tried her best to get up, but she sprained her ankle when she fell after the barrel hit her.

She felt a pair of arms lift her up, and was surprised when she saw that she was once again very close to Rimmer’s face. “What- I told you-”

“Yes, well, I don’t listen to others very well.” Keeping her close as he ran back towards Starbug as fast as his legs could take him.

“Thirty seconds until self destruct” 

Finley held tight onto Rimmer as he ran up the steps that lead into Starbug, hearing the door hiss shut behind them. She was sat down on a chair as Rimmer ran into the cockpit to begin helping the others get the hell out of there.  
Before she knew it, she felt the ship come to life and begin to move. Getting up and limping towards a window, she watched as her ship became smaller in view before the self destruct set off and it blew to pieces. The aftershock of the explosion hitting Starbug and making it jolt, causing her to nearly fall back.

But she made it. They all made it. That beast was blown to shit, and she was safe.  
She felt a presence behind her and jumped before she realized that it was only Kryten. Putting a hand to her chest she sighed in relief. “Oh, Kryten. It’s only you.” She chuckled lightly before sitting back on the chair Rimmer sat her on. “It’s gonna take me a moment before my nerves calm down.”

Kryten nodded. “Understandable, Ma’am. You’ve just gone through a very traumatic experience.” Kryten motioned towards her leg. “Please, allow me to examine your ankle.”

Finley nodded as she propped her foot onto the chair in front of her. “It’s just a sprain, really.”

Kryten kneeled down and prodded at the ankle, moving her foot a couple of times. “Yes, it appears you are correct. Simply wrap the ankle and stay off that foot for a bit and you’ll be right as rain!”

Finley nodded and smiled as she saw that Kryten seemed to be in a better mood already being away from that monster. He seemed so much more chipper than when she first met the mechanoid. “Thanks, Kryten.”

“Oh, no ma’am. Thank you! If it weren’t for your quick thinking, there’s no way we would have gotten out of that horrible situation.” Kryten was thankful for the new human aboard the Starbug. Someone so kind and brave. Someone who was so ready to save all of them from becoming monster chow. “It’s just a shame about your ship.”

Finley nodded solemnly. “Yeah. A real shame.” She sighed. Her ship, her crew, her friends, seventeen years of her life- gone. But she knew that she would be okay. She knew that her life would be good with the crew that had found her just when she needed them to.

Seeing that she was getting lost in her thoughts, Kryten went to get some wraps for her ankle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finley made it aboard! Ugh, I'm so attached to this character already.
> 
> Hopefully, I'm still keeping your interest and that I'm staying in character with the bois. I hope so, as I've watched Red Dwarf since I was a kid and have rewatched and binged it all (Up until Back to Earth because I haven't been able to see anything after that save for one episode) more times than I can count.


	5. Chapter 5

A week had gone by since Finley had joined the Red Dwarfers.  
It was an interesting experience for her, seeing how they all clashed with one another, yet worked so well at the same time. It was all a change from being surrounded by scientists to two Second technicians, the Felinesapian, and the Service Droid that she was honestly proud to call her friends. 

Lister’s slobbyness clashed with Cat’s constant need to keep himself clean and good looking.  
Rimmer’s need for order clashed with Lister’s carefree attitude.

It was an odd crew, but Finley would be lying if she said she didn’t find it enjoyable. She really began to care for the odd mixup. Lister would crack her up with his jokes. The Cat gave her his expert advice on fashion and hair. Kryten’s knowledge tidbits when she’d help him around the ship. She even really enjoyed talking to Rimmer.

He had a certain charm to him once you got used to him. Sure, he would get rather antsy with the others when they didn’t listen to him. But when it came to actually have a conversation with him, she enjoyed his company. And she would be lying if she didn’t admit to finding the hologram to be rather cute.

She could tell they all weren’t used to a woman being on board. Lister would try and correct himself anytime he made any sort of rude joke or got flustered when Finley caught him chewing on his toenails. But after a few days, they seemed to settle easier with the new female member of their crew.

“It’s certainly been interesting having a woman aboard ship, ay?” Lister said as he and the others sat around the table for their usual card game night. “It’s almost cheerful around here.”

Rimmer nodded. “It’s nice. She’s not a slob, she’s smart, she’s got a sense of humor… It’s nice having an actual human being on board again.” He arranged the cards in his hand again, not missing the offended look on Lister’s face.

“Hey, man, I’m a human being!” He paused, looking at the cards in his hand. “Got any two’s?”

Rimmer looked at his hand, “Go fish.” He saw Lister curse under his breath as he pulled a card he didn’t want from the pond. “Lister, normal humans don’t keep a collection of their fallen pubic hair in an empty jar.”

The Cat made a disgusted look on his face. “Ugh. You really are a pig! I thought things like that were normal for humans this entire time!” He shuddered.

“Hey! I thought that maybe we’d run into a cloning machine and I would have to remake the human race! It’s for DNA, I swear!” Lister defended himself, popping a chip into his mouth before snickering. “But hey, maybe I still can with Captain Beauty aboard the ship now, hey?”

Rimmer’s brows shot up, and a feeling of jealousy stirred. “And what makes you think she’ll even want to do that with you? She’s a classy woman, Lister.”

“Hey man, we’re the last living humans! We’ve got a duty to uphold!”

The Cat rolled his eyes. “And you think she’s gonna settle for you? Old monkey breath? Puh-lease! She’s not blind! Why settle for you, when there’s me?” He waggled his brows. 

Finley, unfortunately, heard the conversation as she came in after helping Kryten with the laundry. He had insisted he didn’t need the help, but she felt she had to do something for them letting her stay with them. “Shouldn’t I be making that type of decision for myself, gentlemen?”  
She smiled when they all jumped at her voice. “I’m flattered, though.”

Lister put his cards down before jumping out of his seat. “Finley! We weren’t- I mean, I wasn’t-”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she set the basket of laundry down and faced the men in the room. “Look, I get it, I really do. It’s been years since you guys have even seen a woman. Living with this much testosterone must be exhausting. However,” She looked between the three faces, seeing the red flushes on them. “I am still my own being. No one else gets to decide my love life, but me.” She had made it clear at the beginning that a relationship was off the table for her. She liked and cared for the Red Dwarf crew, but she only saw them as friends. And if she were to develop feelings for any of them, then that’s her choice.

They all nodded their heads and went back to their card game, feeling a bit of shame as they did. Perhaps they didn’t really think of what she wanted for herself. They only thought of themselves and their own selfish needs. She was a human and their friend, they had no right to impose such things on her.

Looking over the little crew, she let out a light sigh. “Chin up, boys. Life isn’t all about sex.”

The Cat let out a scoff. “Not for you, maybe.” He mumbled.

Finley laughed and grabbed her basket of clothes and went to the spare sleeping quarters.

Later on that night, Finley decided to join in on the card games after putting all her laundry away. Kryten was making food for the three people that actually could eat, hearing their laughter from the kitchen and smiling to himself. Finley seemed to be fitting in with the others, and he was happy about it. She was a refreshing mix into the crew. She was willing to help where she could, insisting when Kryten tried telling her it was no trouble. She added something more lively to the ship.

The group were playing Uno, Finley was currently in the lead with three cards in her hand. “Well shoot, boys. Looks like I got this game in the bag.”

Lister grumbled as he picked up a card from the deck. “Sure you don’t want to play strip poker?” He said jokingly, seeing her lip turn in a smile.

“Pretty sure, David.” She smiled sweetly. “Wouldn’t be fair. I’d be fully clothed still while you guys were down to your skivvies.”

Lister chuckled as they continued their game. He was just glad that Finley was still so light-hearted even after she walked in on them basically fighting over who would sleep with her.

Rimmer was enjoying Finley’s company. She kept the tone of everything so light and carefree. He wouldn’t admit to the others(Though he was sure Lister had already read his diary… Again) but he was beginning to fall for her. It was hard not to. Rimmer was so used to women casting him aside, and going after men more like his brothers Frank and Howard. Lord, even Lister has had better luck with women somehow.  
But yet, this gorgeous woman that they had saved a week ago was kind to him. Didn’t look down on him like the others. She actually listened to what he had to say. She had even stood up for him a couple of times when the others were picking on him.  
She was so kindhearted, beautiful, brave. How they were lucky enough to come across her, he’d never know.

“Rimmer?” He heard her voice call to him and shook himself out of his thoughts. “You in there? It’s your turn and you spaced out on us.”

Shaking his head again and straightened himself up. “Right, sorry.” He was able to place a card down for once.

“You okay?” Finley asked, putting a skip turn card down and hearing Lister grumble, having eight cards in his own hand.

Rimmer nodded. “Of course. I was uh- just thinking about space and how… Spacious… It is…” He trailed off, cursing himself for never being able to come up with good excuses.

Finley nodded lightly, not believing him but not wanting to push him. “Right.” Her turn came round again and she put her card down. “Uno!” She smiled wide, “Come on, boys, get it together!”

The Cat threw his hand down, “Maybe if Goal Post head would get his head in the game! He had a draw four the last three turns!”

Glaring at the feline, “You’ve looked at my hand?!”

“Of course! You’ve been sucking so much, I had to see what your deal was! You’ve been holding back!”

The two bickered back and forth for a bit, Finley being entertained by it before she figured it was enough. “Hey, maybe Rimmer was trying to be nice to the new kid, eh?” She winked at him, seeing the blush build in his ears. “I’ll let it slide this time, but next time don’t hold back.”

The night continued on, they played a few more games and before long, they all started to retire to their beds. It was eventually just Rimmer and Finley at the table, playing a game of war. Finley was winning three to one.

“So,” Finley spoke after a moment of silence between them, as they put their cards down, Finley’s Five beating Rimmer’s Two. “What’s it like being a hologram, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Rimmer threw another card down, his eight beating her four. “Did you not have any on the Stargazer?” He wondered. Her ship was massively superior to Red Dwarf. So technologically advanced in comparison. Surely there had to have been a hologram or two, right? Then again, there would have been when they were on the ship, yet he saw no sign of a hologram.

Finley shook her head. “Nah. The captain before me was against them, what’s dead stays dead, he would say.” She sighed. “We lost some really good people to illnesses, old age, lab accidents. So many things that were being researched were left behind because he wouldn’t bring someone back.” Throwing a card down, her card lost to Rimmer’s. “I was going to start bringing Holograms to the ship, I just never got the chance… We were always so busy with other things. It would have been a lot of paperwork and adding in the holo-suite... I feel bad that I never had the time to get it going."

Rimmer thought of his life as a hologram. Years he couldn’t touch a thing. It was only just recently that Legion had given him his hard light upgrade. Before then, he was just a ghost of his former self. “It’s been better recently now that I’ve been able to actually touch and feel again… Before… It was horrible.” Letting his fingers trace his deck of cards, feeling the cardboard. “I was practically useless.”

Finley frowned, “Oh Rimmer… I doubt you were useless.” her voice was soft. She liked Rimmer, he had a certain charm to him. She felt bad when the others would pick on him for the things he couldn’t help about himself.

“Oh please, I couldn’t do a thing, and no one listened to me! At least now I can push some buttons.” He grumbled. The others still never listened to him. Even Kryten would ignore him oftentimes. “I often wondered why Holly brought me back. Over 1,000 people on that ship, and he brought me back… Left to wander space three million years away from earth with people who don’t respect me.”

Finley listened to Rimmer, feeling pain for the hologram. She for sure saw the lack of respect the others had for him, and it irked her. He didn’t deserve all the name-callings and a lack of listening to his orders. Reaching out, she put a comforting hand on his forearm “I respect you.”

Rimmer looked her over. He really was thankful for Finley. For once, he didn’t feel like a smeghead when he spoke to her. “You’re the only one.” He stood and began to gather the cards up. “It’s late, you should get some sleep.”

Standing with a sigh, she watched as Rimmer cleaned up the table and tried to do anything but look at her. Wanting to do something that would lift his spirits, she stepped closer to him and leaned up on her toes before planting a light kiss on his cheek. “Good night, Arnold.”

Rimmer stood stunned as she made her way to her bed. It was only a moment later after she left that Rimmer put his hand on his cheeks where her lips were only a minute ago. It was a gesture so simple yet it stuck out so boldly in his mind.  
He continued to clean the cards up before he retired to his own bunk for the night, his cheek tingled anytime he thought of her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In Dj Khalid's voice* Another one.  
> Rimmer's caught the feels. Finley is to blame but it's not her fault because she is a precious flower.  
> Thanks, everyone who is sticking with this story so far! I've finished all the chapters for this one, and am trying to figure out a good plot for the next one.  
> Maybe take a break and work another fic, I DON'T KNOW YET! I'm indecisive as all hell.


	6. Chapter 6

Rimmer couldn’t stop thinking about the other night. He could still feel Finley’s lips on his cheek. As the days went on, he fell harder for her. The little things she would do. The way her nose scrunched up when she was in thought, how her eyes lit up when she smiled, how even though she was a captain on her ship she was willing to help Kryten clean up around Starbug.  
She was an admirable woman. Rimmer couldn’t help his feelings.

He spent most of the morning in the cockpit, looking over the scanners for any sort of sign of another ship, but coming up blank.

“Hey, Rimmer, you busy?” She looked over the monitors, seeing nothing within miles of the ship. It was still strange for her to think that she was so far away from earth.

“Unless you consider looking over deep empty space busy, then my schedule is full for the next millennia.” He felt his heart skip a beat at her giggle. “Did you need something?”

“Company, mostly.” She sat in the empty chair that Kryten sat in. “The Cat is taking his fifth nap this morning, and Kryten and Lister are checking to make sure everything is running good in the engine room. I got bored and lonely.”

Rimmer nodded. “Well, not sure I can really do anything to entertain you.” He looked over the monitor again.

Leaning back in the chair she sighed. “Well, just talk to me then. I’m sure that’s more entertaining than listening to the Cat talk in his sleep.” She thought about it for a moment. “Although, he does say some interesting things in his sleep…”

Rimmer turned to look at her and finally noticed what she was wearing. She normally dressed in pants and a soft sweater, saying she ran cold more often than not. Though this time she was wearing a pair of cotton sleep shorts and a white tank top. Obviously she hadn’t changed yet that morning into her usual attire. But Rimmer wasn’t used to seeing her in such revealing clothing. Seeing her soft skin just out there in the open like that. Her skin was pale and smooth looking. Random freckles scattered all over her. A single spot here, a cluster there. He swore she was more beautiful than their first time meeting. She looked so comfortable and carefree as those long blonde waves flowed down her shoulders.

She hadn’t noticed him staring at her, as she was looking over some of the monitors and scanners where she sat. “I keep forgetting how old this vessel is.”

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he tore his eyes off her bare legs. “Oh yes, it’s a heaping piece of space junk.”

“Are you kidding? I actually love it.” She stood to look around the cockpit more, enjoying the antique quality of it.

Rimmer eyed her. “Really? What about this ancient forgotten equipment do you love?” He stood and crossed his arms over his chest, curious how anyone could love Starbug-1

Finley smiled as she turned to look at Rimmer. “It’s got a certain quality to it. She’s old, sure. But she still runs. A bit bumpy at times, but she’s still got some kick to her.” Running her fingers over the dashboard. “She’s a classic. She’s got a charm to her.”

Rimmer still eyed her as she listed what she liked about the ship. “It’s a hunk of junk.”

Turning to face Rimmer, she stood close to him. “One man’s trash is another woman’s treasure.” She smirked at him. “It’s like an old, classic car. Work on it enough, and it’s better and more reliable than any new vehicle they come out with.”

Rimmer saw the twinkle in her eyes as she spoke about Starbug like it was the greatest ship in existence. He swore he must be dreaming because there was no way that this woman was real at times. She was so mesmerized by the old ship they were on, so caring about the people aboard it. How someone could be so fascinated with the piece of junk Starbug, he didn't know.  
He glanced at her lips, they were still up in that smirk that drove him crazy. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked.

Hearing someone clear their throat, Rimmer jumped and saw Kryten standing in the doorway with a tray of food. “Apologies if I was interrupting anything, but I figured miss Henderson would like something to snack on." He noticed at breakfast that Finley hadn't eaten as much as she normally did, and thought it would be kind to offer her some sort of nourishment.

Kryten saw the glare on Rimmer’s face as he turned to face him and the mechanoid was worried he had actually interrupted something serious between the two of them. He saw the sincere smile from Finley as she walked over and picked the bag of dried fruit from the tray.

“Thanks, Kryten!” Her voice was as cheery as always. “I think I’d starve without you.” she smiled at the mechanoid.

“You’re very welcome, Ma’am.” Kryten bowed lightly as he left the cockpit before Rimmer’s glare would make his head explode.

Rimmer shook his head as Kryten left. He almost chalked up the courage to kiss her… Almost… Okay, he would have bailed before he even had the chance with her. There was no way she would go for a guy like him. It would only be a fantasy for poor Rimmer.

“Well, I think I’m gonna go change see if Kryten needs help with anything.” Finley popped another piece of fruit in her mouth. “See you later, Rimmer.” She smiled gently as she left Rimmer to himself and began the rest of her day.

Lister had found some old photos from before he was put into stasis and was showing them to Finley. “That’s Kristine, I was mad about her.” He pointed to the photo of Kochanski he had.

“She’s gorgeous, I don’t blame you.” She looked the photo over. “And you supposedly marry her?” Lister had told her about the stasis leak they encountered years ago.

“Supposedly. Still waiting.” Lister still hoped for the day he’d get to marry the woman of his dreams.

Nodding as she put the photo down. “Then why do you keep trying to sleep with me?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

A blush hit his cheeks as he took the photo back. “Gotta pass the time somehow.” He felt her lightly kick his leg and laughed.

Finley noticed a photo that caught her eye, “Is that Rimmer?” She picked a photo of a passed out Rimmer with markings all over his face. She felt bad for him, but couldn’t help laughing at the same time.

“Oh yeah, that was his birthday. He got so drunk he passed out… Me and my buddy Petterson couldn’t help but draw on his stupid face. He was being more a smeghead than usual that day, he had it coming.” Lister shrugged as Finley continued to laugh.

“Poor Rimmer.” She finally calmed the laughter and looked the photo over more. “It’s weird to think he was alive at one point. I’ve only known him as a hologram.”

“He’s exactly the same as he was alive as he is a hologram, trust me.” He looked through his photos more. “You’re not missing anything.”

Speak of the Devil, Rimmer came in and saw all the photos scattered on the table. “Ah, a trip down memory lane, I see.” He stopped when he saw the photo Finley was holding. “Ah, don’t mind that one-” He tried to grab the photo, but Finley jumped up and kept it out of his reach.

“Oh, no. You’re not getting this one.” She laughed as she dodged Rimmer’s grasp. “It’s now my favorite photo of you.” She continued to tease as she kept the photo just out of his reach.

Rimmer stopped trying to grab the photo, turning towards Lister. “I can’t believe you still have that photo, Lister! I’ve told you over a dozen times to get rid of it.”

“And I did!” Lister said, “I got rid of most of the copies, but there were still some leftovers.”

Rimmer grumbled to himself. He shouldn’t be surprised, really. He swore Lister’s only purpose in life was to embarrass him in front of women.  
He saw the photo in front of his face and looked to see Finley with a small smile on her face.  
Gently, he took the photo from her.

“Live a little, Rimmer.” She said in a whispered tone, “It’s all in good fun.” She winked and sat back down to look over more photos.

Rimmer looked down at the photo in his hand and remembered the times when he was alive. In the photo, he was alive, albeit passed out, but alive. There wasn’t a big H on his forehead that signified that he had died and was brought back as a human simulation. “Quite easy to say for the people that are still alive.” He said before heading towards his sleeping quarters, leaving Lister and a very confused Finley behind.

“What was that about?” Finley asked after a moment of rough silence. She thought about what she said and groaned loudly. “Holy shit…” She rubbed her face. “Oh, Finley you dummy.”

Lister looked at the woman questioningly. “What’s the matter?” He was used to Rimmer pouting over everything, he saw nothing unusual about it this time.

Looking up from her hands she sighed. “I just told a hologram to Live a little… Oh, I feel like such a jerk! I didn’t realize.” She slumped in her seat, looking towards where Rimmer had gone to. She hadn't realized what she had said and how Rimmer would have taken it until he stalked off to his room. She didn't mean to say anything that would offend Rimmer, she would never.

“Oh, come on. Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Lister put a hand on hers, “It’s hard forgetting that he’s actually dead sometimes when he’s so up your arse.” He patted her hand before taking his away.

“But he’s still here, right? He’s still around like he’s actually alive. He can still talk, and touch things, he’s still a physical being.” Finley felt horrible. She wasn’t used to Holograms. She was never around them save for the rare occasion of visiting another ship. “I’m gonna go talk to him.” Getting up from her seat, she followed where Rimmer had gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, no. Poor Rimmer! He's dead, but he's not, but he is. It's a difficult and confusing thing to get used to.
> 
> One more chapter! After chapter 7 gets posted tomorrow, I'll start working on the next part of the series... I think I have a pretty good idea what to write... Until I get 4 parts in and hate it and erase everything and start over... HA, love the writer's life.


	7. Chapter 7

Rimmer sat on his bunk in a sulk. "Live a little" He couldn’t get the words out of his head.  
He was constantly reminded that he couldn’t live at all. Not really.  
He would forever be a Hologram of a dead vending machine repairman.

Hearing a knock at the door, he grumbled out “Go away.” Not caring who it would be on the other side.

Finley looked down at the ground, ashamed that she made Rimmer feel like this. “Rimmer, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize what I said until it upset you.”

Rimmer sat in silence, his arms across his chest and a frown on his face. “Of course not. No one ever realizes what they say to the dead man.” He rolled his eyes.

“Rimmer! Come on, let me in.” She knocked again. “I feel awful for making you upset.” Finley wanted to make things right with Rimmer. She didn't know how she would handle being mad at her. It was something that she didn't even like thinking about.

Rimmer wouldn’t let himself succumb to her. No matter how upset she sounded, he would stand his ground and let them all know that he still has feelings. He wasn’t going to face her and let everything be hunky-dory when he wanted them to know that he was still reminded every day that he wasn’t alive. He wasn’t going to-

“Arnold, please?” Her voice was soft and sweet sounding.

Rimmer cursed to himself as he got up and opened the door for her, but still didn’t look at her. He knew he would cave in once he saw her face. Those incredible hazel eyes, those soft pouty lips. No sir, Arnold Judas Rimmer would hold his stand.

Finley stepped inside the room, letting the door slide close behind her. She kept her gaze to the ground, seeing Rimmer’s stiff stance as she entered. “Rimmer, I feel like a jerk.” She looked up finally and saw he was refusing to look at her. “You know I would never say anything to make you upset. I just- I… Oh!” She got frustrated with herself, not knowing what to say to make the situation better. “Look, I understand why you’re upset. You hate being reminded that you’re-”

“A stiffy?” Rimmer said, still not looking at her.

“But you’re still you. You’re still Arnold Rimmer-”

“But I’m not, am I? Not really! I was blasted to dust, reduced to mere dead cells on the floor. My remains were hoovered up and shot into deep space with the rest of the garbage! All I am is just a simulation of him, a projection of light remade into the smeghead second technician Arnold Rimmer. The man no one liked! The man no woman ever loved, not even my own mother loved me!”

Finley watched as Rimmer paced the room as he ranted on. Watching him degrade himself, loathe himself. Finally hearing what he thought of himself, living, and as a hologram.  
When she finally had enough, she grabbed his hand and turned him to face her.  
“Listen here, you moron.” Harsh to begin with, sure, but she knew he would listen. “You may think all of this about yourself, you may hate yourself, you may think that everyone else in the world hates you. But did you ever think about how I feel about you?” She waited until he finally met her eyes. “You’re a hero to me, Rimmer. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead with the rest of my old crew. I told you to get on your ship, but you still came and saved me.” She finally let go of his hand. “You admitted to me you were a coward, yet you still came back for me. You still risked being blown up just to save me.”

Rimmer looked at her with surprise. He was going to speak when she held her hand up, effectively shutting him up.

“Not only do I see you as a hero, but as a good guy with a big heart. I like you, I respect you, and I care about you. Hologram or not, you’re still you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re every bit as alive as you used to be.” Finley was going to take his stunned state as her opportunity to keep talking. "I like your stories from Cadet School, I like when you talk about Telegraph poles, I like hearing about all the adventures you've been on." Her heart was racing against her chest as she poured everything out about how she felt about Rimmer, realizing as she went on how much she actually liked him. Maybe even had feelings for him. "Maybe I'm the only one who likes all that about you, and yeah it annoys me to no end when the others pick on you, or when they ignore your orders, or just plain out ignore you... But I still see you for you. And flaws and all, Hologram or not, you're a great guy, and you're a hero, and-"

Rimmer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. After all these years of feeling alone despite being with the others, he’s finally met someone who saw him as more than a hologram, someone who actually cared about him, someone who was even willing to come and apologize for upsetting him. She wasn’t just telling him to man up and get over it. She was actually here to make him feel better about himself. She stood there and listed all the things she liked about him. She called him a hero. Him. Arnold Rimmer. A hero.

Not being able to help himself anymore. As she still rambled on, he finally built up the courage to pull her closer to him, hearing the small gasp from her. He was finally brave enough to look deep into her eyes before closing the space between them and finally kissing her after wanting to since she boarded Starbug. Finally feeling how soft her lips actually were. And they were even softer than they looked

Finley was surprised, to say the least. She wasn’t expecting when she came to apologize, that she would end up being kissed by Rimmer. She wasn’t expecting that she would actually be enjoying it. That she would enjoy being held by Rimmer as his lips connected with hers.

She realized that she wasn’t responding when Rimmer began to pull away in fear that he had messed up and gone too far. But she pulled him back, kissing back with everything she had. Letting her hands go into his curly hair as she deepened the kiss. All the doubts that she had about how she actually felt about Rimmer melted away as she let his tongue brush against her lower lip.

Rimmer wrapped his arms around her waist as he held her close. It felt like everything in his life had led up to this very moment. To this moment of holding this beautiful woman in his arms and sharing a passionate kiss with her. It made it seem worth going through everything he’s gone through at this point in his life.

Finley was the one to break the kiss, feeling lightheaded, and needing oxygen back in her lungs. She was panting as she looked up at Rimmer and broke into a big, genuine, heartwarming smile. "Well then."

Rimmer couldn’t help but smile back, seeing the light in her eyes as she looked up at him. Finally feeling like a whole human once more. And all it took was this woman who unexpectedly came into his life.

“I guess I made you feel better, yeah?” She couldn’t help but giggle at the look on his face.

Rimmer still held her in his embrace, enjoying the warmth that she let off. “God I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”

She couldn’t keep from smiling at this point. Her old captain would be blowing a fuse if he’d seen this image. “Glad we both got a few things off our chest, then.” She laughed again as she was finally able to break from the embrace.

Rimmer couldn’t stop his mind from reeling. He felt on top of the world. “Wait!” He stopped her from leaving, his insecurities coming back. “That wasn’t just a one-time thing, was it?”

Finley stood and looked Rimmer over, his now messed up hair, his flushed cheeks, his lower lip swollen. Normally she thought Rimmer was a decent looking guy. But now as she looked at him, her thoughts were downright sinful as she smirked at him. Stepping closer to him, she planted a much sweeter and quicker kiss on his lips before pulling away. “Of course not… Captain.” She pulled away with a wink and left the room, leaving a very confused and oddly aroused Rimmer behind.

Finley went back to the main room of Starbug to find that Lister was still looking over the photos. “Is he still pouting?” He asked when she sat back in the chair she previously sat in.

She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she thought about the Hologram she had just passionately kissed not five minutes ago. “Nah, he’s okay now.” Perhaps during her time on Starbug, she might have developed feelings for the Hologram. She just wasn’t expecting for something to happen between them so soon.

Lister nodded, not having the slightest idea of what had happened between them. “Oh hey! This is Frankenstein! She’s the reason we have the Cat!” He pulled the photo that got him put into stasis in the first place.

Later that evening, after recovering from the event that happened earlier, Rimmer was sitting at the table reading one of his books. Lister and The Cat were sitting in the other chairs as they played a round of Scrabble to pass the time. He had never felt so on top of the world as he read over the novel. But knowing that now for once in his life, he had something that the others didn't. A woman that saw through all his flaws and still admired him. A woman so gorgeous she could have anyone in the universe, yet chose him.

Kryten and Finley entered the room after going to fix a broken gasket on the washing machine. “I apologize Miss Henderson. I forgot that you simply cannot just put brassieres in the washing machine.” He said ashamedly as he held up the lingerie that now had broken hooks on it.

“It’s okay, Kryten. Things like this happen sometimes. I’ve made the mistake a few times.” Knowing that it really was an easy fix, she hurriedly took the garment from him and shoved it deep into her laundry basket. “All is forgiven.” She gave the mechanoid a kind smile. She stopped when she saw the looks from Lister and the Cat, the little smirks they had on their faces. “You guys saw nothing.” She pointed at them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The Cat said. “I certainly didn’t see that sinfully red lacy piece of clothing that pairs perfectly with your pale complexion.” He smiled coyly.

Sliding her basket closer to her door, she grabbed an empty lager can and chucked at The Cat, who dodged it effortlessly. “Can’t get me that easy, baby! Cat-like reflexes.” He winked.

Finley rolled her eyes before she sat down in the chair next to Rimmer. “Honestly beginning to question how I put up with you guys.” She sighed dramatically as she propped her legs over Rimmer’s lap. “I must be going crazy.”

Rimmer looked down at his lap, seeing the slim and toned legs that belonged to Finley before looking up at the other two and seeing the questioning looks they had on their faces.

Lister shared a look with the Cat before speaking.  
“Comfy there, Henderson?”

“Immensely comfy, Lister.” She smiled innocently, adjusting her legs as she leaned back.

The Cat was curious about what was happening in front of him. Was she blind to not see how good looking he was? Why did black hole nostrils get special attention?

Rimmer didn’t know what to do. The others didn’t know that they had shared a very heated kiss just that afternoon. Now she was practically climbing in his lap. Though there was pride in him, for that she wasn't afraid to show any sort of affection towards him from the others. It was something that he could get used to.

Lister had a knowing look on his face and couldn’t help the small smile. Sure, he was a little disappointed that Finley chose Rimmer. But you can’t help who you fall for, he supposed. He guessed that even a guy like Rimmer could use a break.

Finley allowed herself to relax with her legs on Rimmer’s, letting out a sigh of content. She could see the blush on his cheeks as she made herself comfy and close to him. She could get used to this. She just wondered when the next adventure would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Fanfare* Ayyyy, last chapter! Good ol' Rimsy got the girl. What a guy! Smoke that kipper, Ace! (Jk I love the Ace Rimmer character he's a treasure)
> 
> Now I have to figure out the next part of the series, whoo! I've got the first part down, and I think I got a good idea of where to lead it. Don't know when I'll get to posting any of it, I might still write something else on the side.
> 
> Take care, guys! Stay safe and wash your hands! I'll see you when I see you ❤


End file.
